It's a beautiful bluebird day in Myoko, one that has started out nice and cold. Conditions are perfect, the crowds are low (apart from school groups and, at Ikenotaira, big groups from the local Self-Defense Force doing amazing things on gear that can charitably called primitive).

The snow off the pistes was pretty heavy yesterday, with small crystals and some windpack making for slow progress below 1500 meters or so. Watching a group climbing up on top of cornice yesterday reminds me of something: there are good magazine guides to nearly all the local backcountry courses, and guides here to make sure that you don't turn down the wrong ridgeline. It was a bit foggy and snowy up high; I doubt that group would have continued if they knew about the 300-meter drop right in front of them....